Thursday, September 25, 2014

Statement from Steele on the completion of ‘NI’ child safety reports

Statement from
Steele on the completion of ‘NI’ child safety reports

STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Rep.
Victoria Steele, D-Tucson (District 9), released this statement regarding the
announcement that the uninvestigated reports of potential child abuse or
neglect discovered in 2013 have been investigated and closed.

“There were
more than 6,000 reports of child abuse or neglect that needed to be
investigated, and I am grateful that each of these incidents has finally been
resolved. Protecting the state’s most vulnerable children should always be a
priority, and we need to ensure that a situation like this never happens again.
I have high hopes that the new Department of Child Safety, which replaced the
overwhelmed Child Protective Services, will continue to embrace transparency
and accountability.

“While
today’s news is good, we have to remember there is still a lot of work to do.
The Department of Child Safety has a substantial backlog. That backlog will
remain an issue until prevention and support services get more resources. By
investing in these services, we can help more families avoid crisis.

“I am
encouraged by the progress and reforms that have been made, and I am committed
to finding additional ways to strengthen our state’s safety-net programs.”